Getting Close To You
by Edan Marie
Summary: In a desperate attempt to get Duke to return his feelings, Ryou feigns an interest in old friend Miho Nosaka. Now, with Duke giving him "relationship training" for the next three weeks, will Ryou win Duke's interest in time?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Kazuki Takahashi, not me, owns All YGO characters. (If I owned them, there would be a lot more yaoi.)

"And so, through these complex metaphors, the poet creates poignant imagery, relating the end of spring to the end of a young life. We as readers get a strong sense of the pain behind the words..."

Ryou sighed under his breath, pen tapping a sharp beat against his wooden desk. He was quickly losing interest in what his teacher was saying- poetry had never been one of his strong points- and his eyes drifted lazily across the classroom. His eyes locked instantly on one particular student, pen stilling abruptly as his breath caught sharply in his throat. The student was fully engrossed in the lesson, emerald eyes alight with interest and long black hair tied back in a messy ponytail. An ache of wanting shortened Ryou's breath and quickened his heartbeat, and yet Ryou couldn't tear his eyes away. Duke Devlin had captured Ryou's interest on his first day at Domino High, and since then the boy had mesmerized Ryou. As he watched, breath held, Duke stretched his arms back over his head, body arching gracefully in its seat as Duke stifled a yawn behind one hand. Maybe Ryou wasn't the only one being put to sleep by the lecture.

Then, sensing eyes on him, Ryou turned his head to the left. He met the eyes of a young girl, whose name escaped him as she grinned at him. He smiled somewhat uncertainly at her, and she squealed loudly with delight, earning a disapproving scowl from the teacher. Ryou dropped his eyes to his desk, face flushed scarlet with embarrassment. He could feel the stares of other girls on him, but he ignored them. Why wouldn't they understand that he wasn't interested? He'd never shown any interest of any kind in girls, and yet it only seemed to encourage them. Tea and Serenity had even started to get some trouble from the other girls for being friends with him, despite both of them being in perfectly happy relationships. It pained Ryou to see his friends treated badly, and he knew his shyness around girls would have to end soon so he could tell them once and for all he wasn't interested.

Ryou was startled out of his thoughts by a low buzzing sound in his trouser pocket. Checking to see the teacher's attention was elsewhere, Ryou discreetly slid his phone out of his pocket and opened the text message.

'Who's the lucky girl?' Bewildered, Ryou lifted his head to find the sender, not recognizing the number. A moment later he caught Duke's eyes, and heat flooded his body. Uncomfortably aware of his no doubt obvious blush, he signalled his confusion to Duke. Duke only smiled; a soft, sexy smile that filled Ryou with an intense longing and a growing bulge under his trousers. He looked back at his phone, quickly tapping out a response.

'I don't know what you mean." It was bad enough that Duke had guessed Ryou was interested in someone, but the fact that he assumed it was a girl? Did that mean Duke thought Ryou couldn't be gay? Or was he hinting that he himself wasn't gay? But then what had he meant with "lucky"? Ryou's brain was starting to hurt.

'I mean, who's the girl you're so smitten with? Every time I see you in lessons, you're off in some daydream. She must be hot.' Was Ryou really that obvious? God, he hoped not. If Duke had noticed his staring...

But of course he hadn't. He assumed Ryou liked a girl in their class, so he clearly had no idea how Ryou felt about him. Unless this was some kind of elaborate trick... Ryou remembered why he never got into relationships. Trying to second-guess someone's every word was exhausting, and of course Ryou was far too afraid to get personal with people. It had been months since Bakura had been destroyed, but years of being terrified by the spirit hadn't exactly done wonders for his confidence when it came to social matters. The fear that someone he got close to would suffer was constant, and old habits die hard.

And yet things felt... different with Duke. When Ryou thought of how things could be with Duke, he didn't feel afraid. He didn't feel guilty or anxious. He felt safe. Happy. Old, half forgotten daydreams began to fill his head, and Ryou smiled to himself, for once unembarrassed by his feelings.

'Don't leave me hanging for a response, Ryou. Come outside, there's something I want to tell you.' Ryou had almost forgotten the phone lying in his lap, and he eagerly scanned the message. A moment later he risked a glance back at Duke, secretly shocked. He'd called him _Ryou_. All of Ryou's friends at school always referred to him as Bakura; he'd begun to doubt they even knew his first name. He certainly hadn't expected Duke to know his name! This lesson was turning out to be full of surprises. He looked at Duke again, who gestured discreetly and somewhat impatiently to the corridor, and Ryou remembered the second half of his message. He couldn't deny his excitement at the thought of talking alone with Duke, but at the same time he felt confused. What could Duke possibly want to say to him? Ryou doubted the two had ever actually had a real conversation together.

Still, it couldn't hurt to try. Could it?

Hesitantly, Ryou raised a hand and coughed politely to get the teacher's attention. She fell quiet, giving Ryou a questioning look.

"Is there something you'd like to say to contest the class' interpretation of the poem, Bakura?" She asked him, and internally, Ryou panicked. He could feel the rest of the class staring at him, and it was only his determination to speak to Duke that gave him courage to speak.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could go to the toilet, please." He lied, and a small ripple of laughter from the class left Ryou feeling oddly proud of himself. He wasn't used to people laughing at the things he said, and the tiny smirk on Duke's face only made Ryou happier. The teacher looked surprised, but nodded her consent.

"Very well, Bakura." Ryou made to stand, but the teacher wasn't finished yet.

"But first I would like you to make a contribution to the lesson. You're a very quiet student, and that will not benefit your grade. What is your interpretation of the poem?"

Ryou hadn't been expecting that. He looked down at the poem on his desk, desperately scanning the text for some kind of idea. He knew the class had interpreted the poem as being about a young life cut short, but he needed his own idea. He looked around the class for help, but none came. He kept searching, and eventually his eyes found Tea. She smiled and nodded at Yugi, her meaning clear. Ryou smiled gratefully at her, and she returned the expression somewhat sadly.

"Um, I think the poem isn't about the end of a life, but- um- is about the end of a relationship. I don't see the metaphors as someone dying, but, um, someone realizing a possibility for a relationship is gone. And then when they write about summer starting, I think it means the poet's realizing that there's something... better out there for them." Ryou was stammering and rushing his words, but the teacher seemed pleased with his response. Relieved, Ryou hurried out of the room.

Once he was in the corridor though, his nerves returned. He still had no idea what Duke wanted to tell him, and now, thinking about it, he felt terrified. What if Duke _had_ noticed his staring, and was angry about it? What if Duke had changed his mind and decided not to tell him anything at all? Ryou was scared out of his mind. As he waited, he realized he'd have to thank Tea properly for helping him out. He hadn't thought that much about Atem leaving recently, and he'd had no idea how much the Pharaoh's departure had affected Tea. She'd been completely smitten with the Pharaoh, Ryou remembered, and it had been a struggle for her to get over him. But, as the old saying goes, time is a healer. Gradually, Tea got over Atem, and now she and Yugi were practically inseparable. Ryou was glad at least some of his friends had got their happy endings.

"That girl must be _seriously_ hot." The new, sudden voice made Ryou jump back in alarm, and he flushed bright red with humiliation at Duke's laughter. Pleasant though the sound was, Ryou did not appreciate being laughed at. Seeing Ryou's discomfort, Duke hurriedly stifled his laughter, curiousity replacing amusement.

"_Is_ she hot?" He asked bluntly, and Ryou choked back a low squeak of surprise. How was he supposed to respond to that? He hadn't even told Duke yet that it wasn't a girl who'd stolen his interest. It was too late now- if he told Duke he was gay, who knew how he'd react? Things would only become awkward between the two, spoiling any chance Ryou had of even becoming close friends with Duke. That left him only one option. Lying. Maybe if he played along, Duke would drop the subject and forget all about it.

"Uh, yeah. _Really_ hot." He wasn't even lying, not technically. Ryou had always found Duke to be achingly beautiful, so the question was surprisingly easy for Ryou to answer. Duke smirked, glancing back at the classroom and examining the girls he could see. All of them were varying levels of pretty, yet none of them were the kind of girl Duke had ever expected Ryou to take an interest in. He turned back to face Ryou, who shrank back from his inquisitive expression.

"What's her name?" Ryou flushed with embarrassment, suddenly unsure. He was completely unprepared for the question, and, conscious, of Duke's eager smile, picked the first girl's name he thought of.

"Miho." Duke's eyes widened with surprise, and Ryou felt a sharp stab of regret. Why, of all the girls he could have said, _why_ had he said _Miho_? Everyone in their class knew Miho still had lingering feelings for Ryou from when he'd first moved to Domino High, and there seemed to be no discouraging her. If Ryou had said another name, Duke might have dropped the subject. But Ryou could see mischief in Duke's eyes, and knew the boy was already planning to play matchmaker.

"Miho Nosaka?" Duke clarified, and Ryou nodded hesitantly. He couldn't back out of this now.

"Shy girl, pretty bookish, used to hang out with Yugi and the gang, not to secretly infatuated with you?" Duke was clearly just teasing now, but Ryou still felt the need to nod in confirmation. Duke whistled appreciatively.

"_Nice_. Not really my type, but still..." Ryou averted his gaze, not wanting to risk giving the truth away when he could feel shame oozing from every pore on his body. What had he just unwittingly dragged Miho into? If Duke did decide to play matchmaker, not only would it wreck Ryou's chances with Duke, but he'd only be leading Miho on and end up hurting her deeply.

"So what's stopping you from asking her out?" Duke's voice pulled Ryou out of his thoughts, and Ryou looked up to meet Duke's concerned eyes. He felt touched that Duke cared, but guilt at his deception swamped any other feelings he may have had. He hesitated, reluctant to answer. Though a lack of romantic interest in Miho was the main reason, but there were other factors that would have prevented Ryou even if he had liked Miho.

"Well... I've never really asked anyone out before. It's partly because I'm so shy, but that stuff with Bakura and the Millennium Ring meant anyone I got close to ended up in danger. I didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt, so I never got into any relationships." Ryou explained awkwardly, half expecting Duke to laugh at how inexperienced he was. Instead, Duke only looked confused.

"But Bakura's gone now; he's been gone for ages. Why don't you ask her out now?" Ryou hated how reasonable Duke sounded, growing desperate for an excuse.

"But... come on, Duke. I'm seventeen years old, and I've never even been on a date before. I doubt many people are going to find that attractive." It was a poor, weak excuse, but it was all Ryou could think of. Duke smiled knowingly, a sly gleam in his bright green eyes.

"You'd be surprised how far innocence can get you." Ryou blushed, intrigued despite himself. Was Duke speaking from experience, or was this some kind of hint? Ryou had seen Duke with more than enough girls, but he couldn't help but feel hopeful. An idea was forming in his head, but he needed to be sure it would work.

"Are you sure?" Duke only grinned at Ryou, obviously expecting the question. He nodded, stepping closer to Ryou so the breath hitched loudly in the younger boy's throat. Duke paused for a moment, considering his next words with a thoughtful expression replacing his confident grin.

"I have an idea." He said at last. Ryou looked expectantly at him, and he hurried to explain.

"Our final exam's this Thursday, right?" Duke waited for Ryou to nod in confirmation before continuing. "And then it's, what, three weeks until the end of the year?" Again Ryou nodded, beginning to feel a little impatient.

"Well, I've decided that on the last day of the school year... you're gonna ask Miho out on a date." Ryou spluttered in a mix of surprise and alarm, taken aback by the determination in Duke's voice. Duke couldn't help but laugh at the shock written across Ryou's pale face, not quite finished in his explanation.

"Hold on, Ryou. On the last day of term, you'll ask Miho out... after I spend the next three weeks training you." Duke finished, successfully putting a stop to Ryou's growing panic. Now Ryou simply felt confused. What on earth could Duke mean by training?

"...What kind of training?" he asked eventually, heat returning to his cheeks at the sight of Duke's familiar playful smirk. Did the boy ever stop smiling?

"For the next three weeks, I'm going to be teaching you every way I know to pick up girls. Not that you need the help, with Miho already infatuated with you. But you need the confidence if it's going to work. Then I'll tell you everything I know about relationships- hard as it may be to believe, not all of my relationships have been week long flings." Ryou was intrigued, but still felt uncertain. All that information would probably help at some point- although Ryou should probably inform Duke that he wasn't as clueless as he thought.

Still, all this information was for dating _girls_...

"Are you sure it'll work?" A tremor ran through Ryou's voice, betraying his worry, and Duke's smile softened somewhat.

"Of course I'm sure! Hell, with this info, I could get any girl I wanted, _and_ any _guy_!" At this, Ryou perked up. Maybe these lessons would come in handy after all...

"What do you say?" Duke's question tugged Ryou out of his planning thoughts, and he smiled.

"When's the first lesson?"

AN: My Minorshipping fic is here at last! I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter, and please leave a review telling me what you thought of it! People who've watched Season Zero will no doubt wonder why Miho's here- I found her to be a bit of a bitchy character in the anime, and I didn't want to waste my time creating a bitchy OC girl for Ryou to pretend to like. Sorry if I've annoyed some fans by doing this.


	2. INFORMATION ON CHAPTER UPDATES

I know these kinds of updates are considered very rude to readers, who are expecting a new chapter rather than an announcement, but rest assured, chapter updates are imminent! Just not on this site. I'm currently in the process of moving all of my fanfics to Archive Of Our Own, under the username edan_marie, and all of them are undergoing edits and rewrites. Because of this, any and all chapter updates to this fic will be on AO3. (And I promise, I'll try and have more regular updates on that site!)


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